Pony's Miches Michelada Bar and Grill opened in the former Fez restaurant space in downtown Phoenix in April 2026. It was the family's first full-service restaurant and bar after opening as a food truck in the West Valley
in 2021, then expanding to a counter service restaurant in Goodyear in 2024. The same year, the restaurant placed third in The Arizona Republic's Top Taco readers' choice awards and was among The Republic's 100 essential restaurants for 2026.When Fez closed, Jose "Pony" Flores and his wife, Analiz Gonzalez, purchased the business and leased the space with their business partner Sergio Escamilla.
"This is a big step for us," Flores told The Republic in a previous interview. "Me and (Escamilla) are just two Latinos from immigrant
parents. So I hope we can just show everyone, like, it's a crazy world out there right now, but don't let anything stop you from achieving your goals and dreams."
Inside, murals and photos are meant to tell stories. In an Instagram video, Escamilla said he went to high school across the street from Walt Disney's house. That's how he learned to appreciate storytelling, and that's what he tried to do in his restaurant. He said he was confident about Pony's Miches' food, so he tried to play with the vibe with paintings, pictures and murals. The oversized loteria cards are reminders of the games he played with his grandmother, his aunts and now his daughters. He preserved the Fez sign as a tribute to the longtime restaurant that used to be there. In the bar area is a mural of Playa del Carmen, his "happy place." ELG prints are a reminder of his law work in the community.
What's on the menu at Pony's Miches Michelada Bar and Grill?
The menu features appetizers like shrimp empanadas and chicken nachos; wings; a variety of loaded fries; burgers, including a Fez-inspired burger; salads; ceviches and aguachiles; specialty dishes like aguachile tasajo steak and langostinos; baja-style tacos and smoked marlin fish tacos; and desserts like churro bites.
The drink menu includes cocktails, micheladas and agua fresca.
On a recent visit, our group ordered shrimp empanadas ($15), made with shrimp, melted cheese, chile poblano, red onion, served with cilantro lime crema and a spicy green salsa; ceviche trio flight ($40), which included house ceviche, mango habanero ceviche and green aguachile ceviche; smoked marlin taco ($14 for two tacos), made with marinated smoked tuna on a white corn tortilla, melted cheese, tomato, red onion and chile poblano served with black aguachile sauce and house creama; Baja-style mahi mahi tacos ($21 for three), prepared with beer battered mahi mahi, cabbage, pico, house crema and cilantro lime crema, served on yellow corn tortillas.
All our dishes came with one to two sauces, which, honestly, felt like gilding the lily in some cases. But sauce lovers will be thrilled.
Whatever you do, don't skip the ceviche
We were divided on which ceviche we loved the most. When the three bowls arrived, the fresh aroma of cucumber and onion set the stage for a cooling dish. The regular ceviche won for my companion for its sheer amount of shrimp, but my favorite was the green aguachile ceviche. Refreshing with a great cook on the shrimp, just the right brightness from the lime and herbs and a spicy zing, it was perfect for a summer day. And things got better from there.
Our server recommended the shrimp empanada, which scored high on multiple levels: thin crispy crust with the right ratio of filling to shell, they offered a taste of sea and land. There was not a hint of dryness in these empanadas. I ate them plain. Though I enjoyed the creamy cilantro sauce when I tried it, it simply didn't need it.
The Baja-style mahi mahi tacos were huge and unputdownable. I usually take small bites to leave room for trying every dish, but this taco got in my belly in its entirety. The tortilla, which held its shape until the last bite, was piled with a generous portion of beer-battered, fried fish fillet that extended beyond the tortilla on both sides. It was topped with cabbage and pico and drizzled with crema and cilantro lime crema. The fish, tender inside and crispy on the outside, was balanced and lifted by the vegetables.
I'm a fan of Marlin tacos, but this one had too robust a fish flavor for me. I could have used a bit more cheese to balance the fish flavor, though it was a huge hit with one of my dining companions, who enjoys a more fish-forward flavor.
From its early days, Pony's Miches was known for two things: ceviche and micheladas. I went on a workday, so I skipped the micheladas, but I'd go back for ceviche and look forward to trying the aguachile section.
Pony's is a nice addition to downtown, a cool spot to grab a drink and a light bite before a game, on First Friday or when you're downtown visiting Roosevelt Row's shops.
Visit Pony's Miches Michelada Bar and Grill
If you can't find parking on Portland and its connecting side streets, try the neighboring cathedral garage.
Don't miss: Green aguachile ceviche, shrimp empanada, Baja-style mahi mahi taco.
Ambiance: Casual.
Noise level: Easy to hear conversations.
Dress code: Casual dress.
Prices: $10-$12 for appetizers, $18-$40 for aguachile and ceviches, $10-$20 for wings and fries, $20-$21 for burgers, $26-$40 for specialty dishes, $14-$21 for tacos (two to three per order), $10 for dessert.
Restaurant hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday to Wednesday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight, Friday and Saturday; 11 am.-8 p.m. on Sunday.
Reservations: Recommended for large parties and available on OpenTable.
Parking: Free street parking is available and two-hour free parking is available inside the Cathedral parking next to the restaurant.
Details: 105 W. Portland St., Phoenix. 623-335-7775, @ponysmiches_barandgrill_phx on Instagram.
Reach the restaurant critic at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @baharcreative on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: At this Top Taco finalist's Phoenix restaurant, fish tacos are king
